4 Office Design Trends: Biophilic, Flexible & Collaborative Space
Biophilic design, unconventional workspaces, team collaborative space, and flexible work space — four durable trends for a more inviting, productive office.
Like any aspect of the modern office, design trends come and go with evolving tastes, demands, and expectations. TenantBase has identified four design approaches that can help make office space both inviting and productive — none of them fads, all of them worth genuine consideration.
Four durable office design approaches: biophilic design (bringing natural elements into the space), unconventional workspaces (repurposing underused corners and nooks), team collaborative space (a productive middle ground between open-plan and private offices), and flexible work space (giving employees real choice in where and how they work).
1. Biophilic Design
Biophilic design incorporates natural aesthetics to satisfy an innate human connection to nature, supporting a stronger sense of well-being. The most obvious example is live plants throughout a space, but the philosophy extends much further — nature-based wall dividers, terrariums, vertical gardens, and water features all aim to create a sense of calm.
Done well, biophilic design isn't just about adding greenery. It establishes a genuine connection to nature through natural light, natural materials, and organic textures and patterns, alongside common office plants — some organizations specifically design "visual connection with nature" zones where employees can rejuvenate throughout the day.
A global workplace study found a significant share of employees had no exposure to natural light or live plants at work, despite roughly a third of respondents saying such factors could meaningfully influence whether they'd choose to work for a company. The underlying point holds regardless of the exact figures: overlooking biophilic elements can be a real factor in attracting and retaining talent.
2. Unconventional Work Spaces
Designing unconventional workspaces requires some unconventional thinking. Areas historically underutilized for work — corners, nooks, even open space beneath a stairwell — can serve a variety of purposes. Technology has driven this trend directly, letting employees work from nearly anywhere in a space with plug-and-play functionality.
Think of an unconventional workspace as a blend of an inviting living room, a peaceful meditation space, and a dressed-down conference room — sofas, beanbag chairs, plants, even yoga mats, all infused with color and tone that invite a wide range of activities.
3. Team Collaborative Space
Open collaborative space will likely always be popular, but research has shown employees can genuinely be distracted by that often crowded, bustling environment. Team space offers a productive middle ground — an atmosphere that naturally supports collaboration among a specific, segmented team without the noise of a fully open floor.
These spaces typically combine comfortable seating, whiteboards, and screens with lightweight, movable furniture on wheels, garage doors separating open zones, plants, and movable green wall dividers — collectively creating a space that can be reconfigured quickly to match whatever a team is actually working on.
4. Flexible Work Space
As an alternative to traditional office setups, flexible work space (sometimes called flexispace) gives employees a genuine variety of settings to work from rather than tying them to a fixed desk or cubicle. Some companies eliminate assigned desks entirely — though this carries real risk, since there's usually still a need for both open-plan area and private offices for employees who need a quiet setting to focus.
There's no single solution that suits every organization. Getting input from both your workforce and management is the surest way to find the combination that actually maximizes productivity and satisfaction for your specific team.
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